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10 Natural Phenomena You Need to See to Believe
Worms. Ice. Coral. Some of our planet's most unsuspecting elements are responsible for the most extravagant productions (move over, Cirque du Soleil). Best of all, these shows are on the house, courtesy of Mother Nature.
Budget TravelWednesday, May 2, 2012, 4:00 AMAt locations across Southeast Asia—from India and Malaysia to Papua New Guinea—fireflies congregate in trees and bushes along mangrove-lined rivers. (Minden Pictures / SuperStock)Budget Travel LLC, 2016

VACATION IDEAS

10 Natural Phenomena You Need to See to Believe

Worms. Ice. Coral. Some of our planet's most unsuspecting elements are responsible for the most extravagant productions (move over, Cirque du Soleil). Best of all, these shows are on the house, courtesy of Mother Nature.

At locations across Southeast Asia—from India and Malaysia to Papua New Guinea—fireflies congregate in trees and bushes along mangrove-lined rivers.

(Minden Pictures / SuperStock)

From the spectacle of thousands of fireflies flashing in unison in a forest in Papua New Guinea to the wonder of a night sky painted blue, green and purple over a lonely fjord in northern Norway, the planet brims with natural-made miracles. Pack your sense of adventure, an appreciation for the unpredictable, and follow our lead around the world to spots where light, coral, ice, butterflies—even worms—create some of the world's prettiest drama.

Aurora Borealis, Norway

When energetic particles from the magnetosphere hit the earth's atmosphere, the skies in the planet's northernmost regions turn into an artist's palette of green and blue swathes and swirls—and, more rarely, red and purple—in the spectacle known as the Northern Lights. The winter of 2012 brought the most intense illuminations in the past 50 years thanks to the Solar Maximum. But the lights make predictable appearances every winter in places like the Lofoten Islands and Tromso, where you can maximize your chances of seeing them during a six-day cruise with Hurtigruten through Norway's northernmost locales. A delivery ship transporting goods and passengers along the coast, the cruise line offers well-priced packages in a notoriously expensive destination (hurtigruten.us, from $1,203 per person for a five-night "Classic Voyage South" cruise from Kirkenes to Bergen, includes full board).

Monarch Migration, Valle de Bravo, Mexico

The butterfly effect is in full effect every autumn when monarchs from the Rocky Mountains make like snowbirds, flying between 1,200 and 2,800 miles south for the more moderate climes of forested regions high in Mexico's mountains. Guided by the sun's orbit, the butterflies reach Mexico by late October and early November, where they spend the winter hibernating. The trees they converge upon pulse with the movement of their delicate wings. Angangueo in Michoacán is the most popular place to see them. But for less of a tourist crush, head to the high forests two hours outside of Mexico City near the town of Valle de Bravo. See them on your own or book a tour through Tours by Locals (toursbylocals.com, $180 for two people for a tour from Mexico City).

Coral Spawning, Bonaire

Who knew coral had such flamboyant sex lives? Every year—most often in the months of September and October, in the days following the full moon—the coral-clad walls fringing the scuba diving-crazed island of Bonaire become awash with tiny white, orange, and pink spheres (yep, eggs and sperm) that erupt, volcano-like, from the corals and float on the currents to continue the cycle life. In addition to the divers there to ogle the nighttime scene, the reef comes alive with thousands of fishy mouths anticipating an annual feast like no other. Captain Don's Habitat gives you the option to pay one price for accommodations, diving equipment, and guided diving excursions (habitatbonaire.com, $666 per person for 7 nights in an ocean view room; includes 6 single-tank boat dives and unlimited shore diving).

Firefly Trees, Papua New Guinea

Nothing makes you feel like a kid again like chasing fireflies. But it's one thing to see a few flitting in your suburban backyard and quite another entirely to witness several massive trees illuminated with fireflies, like so many strands of Christmas lights strung through their branches. At locations across Southeast Asia—from India and Malaysia to Papua New Guinea—fireflies congregate in trees and bushes along mangrove-lined rivers where they breed, synchronizing their flashes for all to see. Walindi Resortin Papua New Guinea offers nightly tours to take in the spectacle in the surrounding forest (walindi.com, tours from $8 per person).

Geothermal Pools, Yellowstone National Park, USA

That the planet is broiling with molten rock and unfathomable heat beneath our feet is no secret. Nowhere on earth is that more obvious than in Yellowstone National Park, which contains the world's most diverse display of heat-inspired drama. Old Faithful draws the masses, but a more interesting and varied foray into the geothermal wonders awaits along the boardwalk trail of West Thumb Geyser Basin. The landscape is always in flux, but you can see more than 15 geysers, boiling springs, cones, and deep, scalding pools colored emerald, sapphire, and black pocketing the earth's crust (nps.gov, $25 per vehicle or $12 per person on foot, kids under 16 enter free).